Rep. Boebert elected to House Freedom Caucus board

Republican Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado’s 3rd Congressional District was one of three House Republicans elected this week to serve on the board of the conservative House Freedom Caucus. 

Republican Reps. Dan Bishop, of North Carolina’s 9th District, and Bob Good, of Virginia’s 5th District, were also elected to the board. 

Current Freedom Caucus members elect the new members.

“The Freedom Caucus is the group that is closest to the people and effectively represents the forgotten men and women of America,” Boebert said in a statement Wednesday. “When candidates run on conservative principles, they win. But when we legislate conservative policies, the American people win.

“In this new leadership position, I look forward to continuing to work with the conservative champions in the Freedom Caucus to put forth the solutions that the American people need and take back this great country.”

Two organizers of the Jan. 6 rally that led to an attack on the U.S. Capitol  told Rolling Stone they had been in communication with Boebert’s office. Boebert denied the allegations in a tweet. 

What is it? 

Nine House Republicans founded the caucus in January 2015 to advocate for conservative issues. They aligned with the tea party, a conservative political movement within the Republican Party.

Members of the Freedom Caucus tend to be more conservative than other House Republicans, the Pew Research Center found in 2015.

The Freedom Caucus opposes federal vaccine and mask mandates and repeated the baseless claim of election fraud in the 2020 presidential election. Former Trump-appointed Attorney General William Barr has said the Department of Justice had found no evidence of widespread voter fraud. 

The caucus also opposes gun control legislation. Recently, some members of the Freedom Caucus have spoken out against the teaching of critical race theory in public schools. Critical race theory may be taught at the college level but is not taught in K-12 classrooms.

The caucus tries to push Republican Party leaders further right on key issues. 

“The House Freedom Caucus gives a voice to countless Americans who feel that Washington does not represent them, the mission statement of the caucus says. “We support open, accountable and limited government, the Constitution and the rule of law, and policies that promote the liberty, safety and prosperity of all Americans.”

Who’s in it?

There is not a publicly-accessible membership list, but Politico reported the caucus has at least three dozen lawmakers. 

Rep. Ken Buck, of Colorado’s 4th Congressional District, is a member of the House Freedom Caucus, according to Ballotpedia. 

“The House Freedom Caucus stands for the freedoms of Americans that career politicians in Washington, and sadly too many Republicans, tend to neglect,” Virginia’s Good said in a statement on Thursday. “We are committed to be the tip of the spear and lead the fight to stop the extremist efforts by the Democrats and Biden administration.”

“Proud to be elected to the House Freedom Caucus’ Board of Directors,” Bishop said in a statement Wednesday. “At a time when Democrats want to take more control over people’s rights, the Freedom Caucus fights to protect Constitutional liberties and limited government principles.”

Colorado Springs Republican Rep. Doug Lamborn was a member of the House Freedom Caucus for about a year, according to The Gazette. 

Republican Rep. Andy Biggs, of Arizona’s 5th Congressional District, is the chairman of the caucus.